NEW DELHI: The defence ministry has rejected the Army's case for ownership of the 22 heavy-duty Apache helicopters, armed with Hellfire and Stinger missiles, which India is all set to acquire from the US in a $1.4 billion contract.

The MoD, citing defence minister A K Antony's approval, has held the 22 AH-64 D Apache Longbow gunships will remain with the IAF because the procurement deal was an ongoing one, which did not fall into category of future acquisitions, said officials.

The Army has been eyeing the Apache helicopters, that earlier defeated Russian Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant's Mi-28 Havoc choppers in the field trials conducted by IAF, for which the final commercial negotiations are now underway between MoD and Boeing.

Antony last year was compelled to step into the bitter turf war raging between Army and IAF for years, which publically erupted even during the 1999 Kargil conflict, over the ownership of attack helicopters.

The minister had then decided that future procurements of attack helicopters would be for the Army since the force contended it desperately needed the gunships to target enemy infantry and tanks.

But IAF argued it should be allowed to retain all the attack and medium-lift helicopters because it would be very expensive if the Army duplicated efforts and resources by getting its own 'little air force'. The command and control over IAF's two existing squadrons of Mi-25 /35 attack helicopters was in any case in the hands of the Army.

After MoD said the Army would also get its own attack helicopters to resolve the imbroglio, the force also laid claim to the ownership of the 22 Apache helicopters. "But the procurement process for the 22 Apache helicopters began much before the decision about giving Army ownership of future such inductions was taken," said a MoD official.

An undeterred Army, however, chalked out plans to have its own 'mini air force' in the years ahead. Apart from creating a permanent cadre for the Army Aviation Corps, the force is raising aviation brigades for each of its three strike and 10 pivot corps.

The Army currently operates 195 Chetak/Chetak light observation helicopters as well as 70 Dhruv advanced light helicopters. Its long-term plans include three helicopter squadrons (10-12 choppers each) — armed or attack, reconnaissance and tactical lift — each for all its 13 corps as well as a flight of five fixed-wing aircraft each for its six regional or operational commands.